Doctors report Google Glass Addiction

Google glass is finally out and being used in everyday life, but what exactly is happening to those who have these glasses on all day long. Google Glass owners have been reported as not being able to put the wearable device down, and now there is at least one report of genuinely addictive behavior reported by Doctors at Naval Medical Center in San Diego. They are claiming that a 31-year-old Navy serviceman is the first person to be diagnosed with a Google Glass-related addiction.
     The user reportedly wore the device for up to 18 hours a day and even when not wearing the device consistently reached for his right temple to use and activate his Google Glass and this was almost anytime he was asked a question. Apparently after 35 days of on-site treatment he has been getting better; the reflexive movement to the temple is not as often and he is much less irritable and more focused.

This raises concerns as a wearable device is meant to be worn all day in everyday life to assist you. However, if this is causing problems of addiction this serious it may be a risk that not many are ready to take. Of course there is no guarantee that you will get addicted, but those with addictive personalities will be more subject to this problem. This is still only one incident and a little bit of research shows that the patient was prone to compulsive activities in the past, so take this into consideration as well.

Sources: Engadget

Google Fiber to be Unleashed in Austin this December

     So it seems that AT&T's new gigabit internet is going to gain some competition this December in Austin, Texas. Google Fiber in a recent planning meeting in Mountain View detailed how it will finally roll out the service. The company's gigabit internet service is up to 100 times faster than what most ISPs can currently offer throughout the US. With these greater speeds it will also bring major opportunities to the area itself.

David Anthony program manager at the event stated: "Launching a fiber network is really three parts: planning, permitting, and construction,". He also explained that the Fiber service will begin in the southeast areas of the city and requires permits to build the infrastructure. So this will not be happening overnight in other words. "Not every part of Austin will get Fiber. But every area of Austin will have an opportunity to get it," according to Google Fiber head Mark Strama.

     As the USA has some of the lowest internet speeds in the world compared to our European friends it is about time that we receive speeds that reflect our work ethic, fast, reliable and constant. This coming from Google will most certainly add tons of opportunities to the areas it moves to and also cause competitors to get their speeds up to snuff with the competition. We may slowly be moving into the era of internet speeds that will blow our minds.

Sources: VentureBeat

               Engadget

5 Million Gmail Passwords Published, Cause for Worry?

 

     You may be getting prompted to update your Google password in the near future as they over 5 million were published to the web just the other day. A Russian Bitcoin forum member has been posting over 5 million passwords and up to 60% of them are still in use. Although there is not a clear answer as to how these passwords were obtained, Google stated to Cnews that it is coming from a long period of hacking and phishing. None of the Gmail servers were breached and most of the information that was posted was older which is a somewhat comforting feeling, but in the next few weeks it is advised that Google users be aware of any suspicious activity on their accounts and to change their password as a safety precaution.

Toshiba Unveils $330 Chromebook2 That Will Make You Re-think That MacBook Air

     In today's world of computers we are used to thinking that a computer needs an Operating System (OS) like Windows, but the Chromebook 2 is changing this way of thinking with a fully browser reliant system that utilizes the Google Drive system and all of the web based applications that Google offers such as Google Docs for a fraction of the price of what you would pay for a full OS laptop of any other brand.

     As you can see the $330 Chromebook 2 sports a sleek, slim and familiar design with chiclet-style keyboard and silver matte finish is bears a remarkable resemblance to the MacBook Air. The Chromebook 2 comes with a 13-inch 1080p IPS display, Skullcandy-branded stereo speakers, 2.5GHz Intel Celeron Processor with 4GB of RAM and a 0.76-inch-thick chassis. Weighing less than 3 pounds and offering many I/O features  for it's price: USB 2.0 port, USB 3.0 port, HDMI out and and SD card reader. They even included a 720p webcam built in and all of this for $330 when fully loaded.
     The most high end configuration will come with a 16GB solid-state drive and 100GB of Google Drive storage, which you may utilize for 2 years for free. Also contains a 4.0 bluetooth connectivity system in addition to the 802.11ac Wi-Fi and 9+ hours of battery life per charge.
     If you are someone who is on the run needs their documents to always be accessible with ease this Toshiba Chromebook may be for you. The Chromebook with a light-weight sleek design combined with the Google Chrome Store and the many applications that come out for browsers on a daily basis points us to a new future for computers. The Toshiba Chromebook 2 is set to release October 5, 2014 with the fully loaded sporting a cost-effective $330 price tag or for a step down you can purchase one for $250. The future of computers is just beginning.

Sources: Wired
               Toshiba

Google Chrome 64-bit Available: Faster and more Secure

     We all are constantly looking to download the best browser to enhance our online experience and Google Chrome 64 bit has delivered. With not only faster speeds on sites like youtube.com but also improving security and stability in many ways.
     Tasks such as decoding HD video have proven to be 15% faster under the 64-bit version of Chrome. Mozilla Firefox who is one of Chrome's leading competitors has been working on a 64-bit version just like Google but Google but Mozilla won't pull the trigger on releasing it to the public unlike Google. This may cause us to see a release of Mozilla's Firefox 64-bit in the near future if they want to enter this part of the market.
      Google has also said that it has seen an average improvement of 25% in graphics and multimedia content. This means less buffering for high quality video, less crashes and an overall better performance coming out of the browser. In addition the crash rate of Chrome 64-bit has been tested and shown to be half of that experienced in Chrome 32-bit.
     However there is one small downside to the new 64-bit and it's the fact that Chrome 64-bit does not support of a few of the not so popular plug-ins that are available for Chrome 32-bit. It is offering support for most of the major plug-ins such as Silverlight, Java and Flash which have all been updated to 64-bit furthering the increase in performance with this browser.

     To check if your google chrome is up to date to the 64-bit version go to the "about google chrome" selection from the drop down menu on the top righ-hand side of your Chrome browser and you will be able to update your browser if needed. If you are already up to date it will tell you "Google Chrome is up to date" or you will notice you have Google Chrome 37.
   

      Now it seems like a no brainer to go with the new Google Chrome 64-bit browser and that is because as of now it really is the best browser available. Until Mozilla releases a 64-bit version of Firefox overall this new version of Chrome has the best security, speeds and stability which is really what we want out of our browsers to begin with. At this time Google Chrome 64-bit is only available for Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 8/8.1. To download the new browser and test these claims yourself: Download Chrome 64-bit for Windows. Be sure that you see "For Windows 8/7 64-bit" below the Download Chrome button as shown below.

Sources: Extreme Tech
             Chromium Blog